Data & Technology

How disruptive technologies are re-shaping cities

What is Data & Technology about?

As sensors turn any object into part of an intelligent urban network, and as computing power, cloud platforms and open software facilitate advanced data analysis, city leaders can gain an unparalleled understanding of the city infrastructure to deliver better services. At the same time, disruptive technologies such as blockchain, whose impacts go well beyond financial services, as well as augmented and virtual reality, drones, advanced robotics or artificial intelligence accelerate the adoption of a new digital urbanism focusing on efficiency. However, these positive strides bring up new problems related to privacy, security and ethics. Citizen engagement is then essential to make the most of this intelligence. How can urban leaders ensure that the adoption of these disruptive technologies nurture bottom-up innovation with a right balance between privacy and security? How can policy makers couple the online and on-land processes to adopt informed decisions improving quality of life?